Cleveland Circle history, recent changes

Cleveland Circle is the quintessential streetcar suburb in Brighton. It developed in the late 19th century as an area for well-to-do commuters.

Its proximity to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, Brookline, and Boston College makes it an attractive location for businesses.

Recently. A development for hotel, apartments, retail, restaurant and offices has been proposed for the area.
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Boston Development Group

The Boston Development Group wants to build a 2.5 project replacing an Applebee’s restaurant and the abandoned Circle Cinema.

The five-story development would include a hotel, upscale apartment, offices, and space for retail and restaurants.

The group pitched the project two years ago, but residents objected to the plan, fearing traffic issues.

Since then, the building’s design has been altered, including traffic improvements.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the latest proposal at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 at the Alexander Hamilton School on Strathmore Road in Brighton.
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MBTA

Passengers currently get on and off of trolleys in a rail yard north of Commonwealth Avenue’s two westbound lanes, across the street from an entrance to the Boston College campus.

But the MBTA wants to relocate the passenger platforms to the cente rmedian of the avenue. The $20-million project is currently in the design phase. Officials said they hop the new station will establish safer, more visible access to the Green Line.
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Boston Development Group

Residents demanded a developer alter a $75 million project proposal that would build a 181-room hotel, 82 luxury apartments and space for retail, office, restaurant and parking within a five-story building.

Locals at a recent meeting took issue with the size, possible traffic, and overall aesthetic.
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The Boston Globe/File 1975

The area is part of a historical neighborhood called Aberdeen, characterized by winding roads across rugged, wooded terrain.

Pictured: Henry Wingfield and Ellen Greif, both of Boston, were joined by their dog friend Josh while sitting at the Cleveland Circle park.
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The boston Globe/File 1960

Streets near Cleveland Circle were inspired by English and Scottish names to add to the allure and status of the residential developments.
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The Boston Globe/File 1999

The Chestnut Hill Reservoir began construction in 1865 to consolidate Boston's water supply to one location instead of four spots across the region.
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The Boston Globe/File 1959

The Charles River Branch Railroad stretched out to the Cleveland Circle area in 1852. An apartment construction boom was triggered by the introduction of the electric street car in 1909.

Pictured: Homes on Clinton Road, Brookline, whose back yards were truncated to make room for new tracks near Cleveland Circle.
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The Boston Globe/File 1979

The circle is the town center for the Aberdeen neighborhood.

The population is made up of young professionals, students from nearby colleges, and seniors. Student renters are the neighborhood's smallest percentage of the population. Pictured: Shops in Cleveland Circle.
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Christina Pazzanese for The Boston Globe

A developer recently filed plans to build a 181-room Hilton Garden Inn hotel and 82 luxury apartments along with space for office, retail, restaurant and parking uses in a five-story building in Cleveland Circle.

The mixed-use building, revised substantially from original plans presented more than a year ago, would be constructed across two sites, replacing an existing Applebee’s restaurant on one site in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood and the abandoned Circle Cinema on the other parcel that straddles the Brighton-Brookline border.
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The Boston Globe/File 1940

In 2008, Circle Cinemas closed for good after serving the community for 68 years. It couldn't compete with fancier, spacious new theaters. When it opened in October 1940, the Circle was state of the art. "No expense has been spared to provide the best in equipment, decorations, and convenience for patrons," reported the Globe back then.

Pictured: Circle Cinema in Cleveland Circle before its grand opening.
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The Boston Globe/File 1965

Back in the day, the Circle Theatre rivaled the Charles Theatre as the best place to see a movie in Boston. It was considered the flagship of the chain owned by Sumner Redstone.

Pictured: From left, Mike Redstone, Sumner Redstone, William Riseman, and Edward Redstone looked at a design of the Cleveland Circle Theatre expansion.
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City representatives said the pilot program was a solid start, and a chance to add vitality and creativity to the community.

Pictured: James DiSabatino, owner of Roxy's Grilled Cheese truck, with fried pickles and a "Rookie Melt" in Cleveland Circle.
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The Boston Globe

In 2011, the Waterworks Museum opened near Cleveland Circle.

Inside, a giant mass of twisting pipes, gears, and levers make up the archaic engines that were used to pump drinking water for all of Boston, Brookline, Quincy, and Milton as well as communities far south as Norwood and Canton. In its heyday, the waterworks was the largest facility of its kind in New England and was also home to the first water supply testing lab in the nation.
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